PU MBA students feel cheated after name change

CHANDIGARH: Students of MBA (off campus) course at Panjab University were in for a shock recently. They came to know that the name of the
institute they were studying was no longer University Institute of Applied Management Sciences (UIAMS). While regular MBA student are learning at UIAMS, the new name for the institute for off campus course has been set as University School of Open Learning (USOL).

First semester student Ranjit Singh said that at the time of admissions and written entrance test, the UIAMS’ name was mentioned on the prospectus. “We only came to know of the change through the study material and were not informed in any other way,” he said. Another student, Nipun Khurana, said the change would adversely affect their chances of placement. “UIAMS is a more prestigious name. Making a change now is like defrauding us,” he added. Students complained they were in a fix as the last date for filling the examination form was September 25 and they were still not clear about what institute they were studying from. They had submitted a memorandum in this regard with the vice-chancellor, but no action was taken about that. UIAMS director Anil Sahijpal said there might have been a communication gap and stated that students were feeling dissatisfied because they had not been informed.

“This is for their good. If they fail in the UIAMS course, they don’t get another chance. In USOL, they will have five years to finish the two-year course,” he stated. The director also added that if a student feels cheated, he or she could get admission cancelled and take the fee back. Students said that if the university failed to change its decision, they would be forced to knock the doors of the court.